If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

View Poll Results: Who Is The Female Lead For The Masters Of The Universe Franchise?

From a storytelling perspective, Teela is not wonder woman.
Instead, she is very much like Steve Trevor, i.e. someone whose essential role in the stories is to get into trouble so that the real hero of the franchise - He-man / Wonder Woman - has to intervene to save her from the bad guys.

In this respect, Teela is occupying the same 'function' as Bow or Glimmer in POP. I know people cringed when someone said that earlier on, but it's the truth! It doesn't mean Teela is 'inferior'. It's just the role that she was given in the mythos. She's a supporting character.

A very important character (with a lot more backstory than Glimmer or Bow in my humble opinion) and we all love her because she was the first woman in this MOTUverse with an important role. Teela is great. I love Teela. But she's not the lead.

She-ra might be a spin-off. So was Xena. So was the bionic woman. It doesn't take away the fact that people remember them a lot because they were the main protagonists of their own show. So She-ra is much more of a wonder woman than Teela will ever be.

Here's one of the reasons why I think Teela is the lead. If we have a movie or cartoon, Teela will be the main female heroic lead who will be there from the beginning. She-Ra has the main disadvantage of appearing later on in the mythos, due to her nature as a "GASP, I have a sister/Everything you know is wrong?" reveal long after we've established the status quo for He-Man.

In the world of MOTU, Teela is "Wonder Woman" because she's the only heroic female. He-Man is Superman, Man-At-Arms is Batman and Teela would be Wonder Woman. MOTU's trinity is similar to DC Comic's DC Trinity. As for the damsel in distress, everyone gets in trouble, even He-Man himself needs help from his friends--like the Slime Pit example.

This thread asks 'who is the female lead of MOTUC'. That's simple.
Take the Filmation cartoons. Kill Teela. Can the show continue? Yes. I can't remember for sure but there must have been episodes in which Teela did not even appear. Now take She-ra. Kill her. Can her cartoon continue? Nope. She's a lead character. It's as simple as that... :-)

That's She-Ra's cartoon. If you killed She-Ra in the mythos, MOTU could still continue without her, as we see in MOTU's original mini-comic mythos where there is no POP mentioned. That's where 4 Horde members can take over Etheria without an intergalactic empire or robot troops.

As for the Comic Con BG Teela, well I can remember a She-ra parading in costume at some ancient comic con edition. I think Mattel did 'Battle Ground' teela this year because it would save bucks thanks to the rather skimpy costume she's wearing. :-)

As a Mattel employee? We saw Teela at SDCC twice--once during 200X, once during Classics.

Originally Posted by Count Marzo

How many chick fans dress as She-Ra at SDCC and other cons (more than 1)

How many are paid by Mattel to dress as "Battleground Teela" and hand out buttons? 1.

Case dismissed.

Your last statement wins this argument. Mattel chose to use Battleground Teela out of all the other MOTU females to advertise MOTUC. Not their "biggest" female. At their biggest SDCC appearance ever. Ironically the one where they announced the Filmation Rights.

Here's one of the reasons why I think Teela is the lead. If we have a movie or cartoon, Teela will be the main female heroic lead who will be there from the beginning. She-Ra has the main disadvantage of appearing later on in the mythos, due to her nature as a "GASP, I have a sister/Everything you know is wrong?" reveal long after we've established the status quo for He-Man.

That's because Teela can easily be thrown into the mix without shaking things up or needing much of an explanation.

She-Ra is too important to be shoehorned into MOTU that easily. She needs to have her story explained, as well as all of the other POP characters that come along with her.

"Oh Lord, Bless this M&M... and the mighty cockroach I slain in battle to get it." - Al Bundy

Your last statement wins this argument. Mattel chose to use Battleground Teela out of all the other MOTU females to advertise MOTUC. Not their "biggest" female. At their biggest SDCC appearance ever. Ironically the one where they announced the Filmation Rights.

Sex sells.

If there were a version of She-Ra wearing something even skimpy-er, they probably would have used She-Ra.

In that episode, Skeletor just lists off his cohorts and they show cut-aways of them! It's like...look...toys!

Seriously though, they just set up (very simply) the villains and the heroes. She-Ra is more intricate of a storyline because her story takes place over 20 years (basically), two planets and going from villain TO hero. He-Man, in Filmation, can pretty much summed up as "Hulk smash!" I'm obviously exaggerating there, but we learn more about him in time.

The only way to do it in a new cartoon, would be to have the show take place "in the middle" of the story, and they can do some flashback episodes to explain how things came to be. An alternate way, would be to have a Direct-to-DVD/Blu-Ray She-Ra movie that starts out in a massive, all-out battle with her between the Evil Horde and her thinking about how things weren't always like this. Tell the story, then catch up to the battle. Heck, in the end of the movie, Hordak could escape to Eternia after being defeated by She-Ra (or nearly defeated) and then the MOTUC events could take place in a MOTUC cartoon.

Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.

That's She-Ra's cartoon. If you killed She-Ra in the mythos, MOTU could still continue without her, as we see in MOTU's original mini-comic mythos where there is no POP mentioned. That's where 4 Horde members can take over Etheria without an intergalactic empire or robot troops.

In MOTU's original mini-comics, there are Horde Troopers.

Anyway, about the killing off the leads and what would continue...He-Man was killed off basically (cancelled) and She-Ra kept going in her own series for a bit! Just thought that would be a funny mention.

Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.

In that episode, Skeletor just lists off his cohorts and they show cut-aways of them! It's like...look...toys!

Seriously though, they just set up (very simply) the villains and the heroes. She-Ra is more intricate of a storyline because her story takes place over 20 years (basically), two planets and going from villain TO hero. He-Man, in Filmation, can pretty much summed up as "Hulk smash!" I'm obviously exaggerating there, but we learn more about him in time.

The only way to do it in a new cartoon, would be to have the show take place "in the middle" of the story, and they can do some flashback episodes to explain how things came to be. An alternate way, would be to have a Direct-to-DVD/Blu-Ray She-Ra movie that starts out in a massive, all-out battle with her between the Evil Horde and her thinking about how things weren't always like this. Tell the story, then catch up to the battle. Heck, in the end of the movie, Hordak could escape to Eternia after being defeated by She-Ra (or nearly defeated) and then the MOTUC events could take place in a MOTUC cartoon.

I think a new cartoon would have to rethink She-Ra's origin.

• Adora is there from the start, only she doesn't learn of her destiny and become She-Ra until a season finale!

• Adora is not only there from the start, but she and Adam become He-Man and She-Ra at the same time! Both defend Eternia as a DUO! Now that is definitely how She-Ra becomes the lead female over Teela.

• Same as Filmation, only Adora's absence is mentioned at times, rather than "the spell of forgetfulness" made everyone forget she existed.

Originally Posted by Darkspecter

In MOTU's original mini-comics, there are Horde Troopers.

Not initially. The Horde are initially only Hordak, Grizzlor, Leech and Mantenna until Modulok joins them after they appeared on Eternia. He-Man is such an awesome threat, that Hordak has to add to his forces when he didn't need to before. Leech points out that the Horde isn't very big in one of the mini-comics.

In the world of MOTU, Teela is "Wonder Woman" because she's the only heroic female.He-Man is Superman, Man-At-Arms is Batman and Teela would be Wonder Woman. MOTU's trinity is similar to DC Comic's DC Trinity.

If there was an MOTU Trinity my thoughts would be the Sorceress as the guardian of Castle Grayskull, and He-Man and She-Ra as the Champions of Light /Good who use the Power of Grayskull and lead the fight against evil. In this Trinity She-Ra is the most important female directly fighting against evil and would be the female lead of the MOTU franchise.

Teela I see as the equivalent of Artemis from the Wonder Woman comics. Both are headstrong and skilled warriors who command soldiers, but neither one is currently a plantary political leader in the same vain as Wonder Woman who is the main warrior and represents Amazons on Earth and She-Ra who is the main warrior and representative of Etherians against the Horde.

If Wonder Woman was to be directly replaced in an MOTU version of the DC Trinity it should be with She-Ra as they have more in common, and She-Ra is now fighting with the heroic Masters on Eternia according to her action figure bio so Teela should no longer be the only heroic female available.

If there was an MOTU ‘Trinity’ my thoughts would be the Sorceress as the guardian of Castle Grayskull, and He-Man and She-Ra as the “Champions of Light /Good” who use the Power of Grayskull and lead the fight against evil. In this ‘Trinity’ She-Ra is the most important female directly fighting against evil and would be the female lead of the MOTU franchise.

Teela I see as the equivalent of Artemis from the Wonder Woman comics. Both are headstrong and skilled warriors who command soldiers, but neither one is currently a plantary political leader in the same vain as Wonder Woman who is the main warrior and represents Amazons on Earth and She-Ra who is the main warrior and representative of Etherians against the Horde.

If Wonder Woman was to be directly replaced in an MOTU version of the DC ‘Trinity’ it should be with She-Ra as they have more in common, and She-Ra is now fighting with the heroic Masters on Eternia according to her action figure bio so Teela should no longer be the only heroic female available.

I was talking strictly Masters of the Universe, not all of the canons together. In purely Masters of the Universe, Teela is the only regularly questing Eternian heroic female character, so she is the Wonder Woman type character by default.

Now if we are talking about all of the canons, Teela is the only heroic female figure of the mythos until She-Ra is introduced. Later, the Sorceress would get a figure, but she has of a mentor/quest-giver role, although she does fight occasionally. Teela being introduced before She-Ra will most likely happen in MOTU movies, books and cartoons, unless a new creator decides to change She-Ra's whole "I have a sister?" reveal.

As much as I hate the idea of Teela as the new Sorceress, that definitely would make her even more important if not also more powerful.

Im definitely not convinced. LOL!

Firstly, He-Man and She-Ra are the two warriors who are regularly fighting evil and are destined to travel to the Tri-Solar system and defeat the Horde. They are therefore critical to the future of the MOTU Universe (i.e. He-Man and She-Ra are the male and female leads for the MOTU franchise). Or to put it more simply no She-Ra or no He-Man the Horde and evil wins! The Sorceress on the other hand can be killed and replaced (hence Teela becoming the Sorceress) without affecting the ultimate defeat of the Horde so she is less important to the final outcome.

Secondly, Teela even as the Sorceress is unlikely to ever become more powerful than She-Ra as she also draws on the Powers of Castle Grayskull and has always been said by Mattel to be the most powerful woman in the universe.

Teela I think is, because she is front and center with He-Man most of the time..and only the He-Man cartoon was called MOTU, She-Ra may have been a part, but only was the lead in She-Ra, and while She-Ra is MOTU continuity, her story is not "She-Ra and the Masters of the Universe" not only that if you look at the story, the "Masters" are the good guys with He-Man, of which Teela is the only active female constantly present, not to mention the daughter of the supporting female...The Sorceress.... Evil Lyn is up there too, but she's not always present. Also Teela was around before She-Ra (Adora) even came about.

Here's one of the reasons why I think Teela is the lead. If we have a movie or cartoon, Teela will be the main female heroic lead who will be there from the beginning. She-Ra has the main disadvantage of appearing later on in the mythos, due to her nature as a "GASP, I have a sister/Everything you know is wrong?" reveal long after we've established the status quo for He-Man.

In the world of MOTU, Teela is "Wonder Woman" because she's the only heroic female. He-Man is Superman, Man-At-Arms is Batman and Teela would be Wonder Woman. MOTU's trinity is similar to DC Comic's DC Trinity. As for the damsel in distress, everyone gets in trouble, even He-Man himself needs help from his friends--like the Slime Pit example.

That's She-Ra's cartoon. If you killed She-Ra in the mythos, MOTU could still continue without her, as we see in MOTU's original mini-comic mythos where there is no POP mentioned. That's where 4 Horde members can take over Etheria without an intergalactic empire or robot troops.

As a Mattel employee? We saw Teela at SDCC twice--once during 200X, once during Classics.

Your last statement wins this argument. Mattel chose to use Battleground Teela out of all the other MOTU females to advertise MOTUC. Not their "biggest" female. At their biggest SDCC appearance ever. Ironically the one where they announced the Filmation Rights.

Look at us pretending to be all objecting and reasonnable in our line of argument... Yet our avatars betray how biais we are! You have a Teela avatar and I have an Adora one! Begone! Both of us!!!

This said, I don't agree with your arguments.Either we are looking ONLY at the Masters of the Universe Franchise, and thus Teela is the lead, as She-ra did not appear in that series, and the argument is closed. (And that poll doesn't even exist.) Or, and I think that was the point of this poll, we look at the MOTU / POP universe as a whole. And in that case, Teela is not a lead.

You keep saying Teela is like wonder woman, who's the woman in DC's 'trinity'. But if you examine her role in the mythos, Teela is very much a 'Lois Lane', i.e. a love interest for the lead of the hero.

Wonder Woman is the only DC superhero with Batman and Superman that has had her own ongoing comic without any interruption. That's why that 'trinity' is an interesting example.

Teela, as much as we all love her, never had her own comic, her own series. She appeared in the He-man cartoon but never without her 'lead', He-man.
Just like Lois Lane appeared in numerous comic books but she never sustained her own comic!

Another indication that Teela is not a "lead" is the fact that usually, in a series of comics, the lead is the superpowered character (when there is one). Love interests are usually (emphasize on 'USUALLY" I know there are exceptions!) powerless. Teela is a trained warrior but has no magical powers or superstrength, just like Steve Trevor, Lois Lane, Mary Jane Watson etc. etc.

Now I know she is destined to become the new sorceress, but she never obtain such status neither in the original comics nor the cartoon.

She-ra is very much like Wonder Woman because she is the main character of the series. She has powers that set her above mere mortals. She is the lead in her own series 'She-ra Princess of Power', she even had a movie made just for her introduction, as someone pointed out. She is a "lead".

You may post as many Teela cosplay figures as you want, it won't prove anything else other than what we already know: Teela is loved like many other characters of the series. If I find pics of people dressed in Trapjaw cosplay costume, it doesn't make him the lead of the series!

Originally Posted by Emiliano

The harsh reality is that the Horde were originally intended for POP, and they have always been intended for POP. Filmation developed the characters for the POP cartoon. It's a fact.

Look at us pretending to be all objecting and reasonnable in our line of argument... Yet our avatars betray how biais we are! You have a Teela avatar and I have an Adora one! Begone! Both of us!!!

This said, I don't agree with your arguments.Either we are looking ONLY at the Masters of the Universe Franchise, and thus Teela is the lead, as She-ra did not appear in that series, and the argument is closed. (And that poll doesn't even exist.) Or, and I think that was the point of this poll, we look at the MOTU / POP universe as a whole. And in that case, Teela is not a lead.

You keep saying Teela is like wonder woman, who's the woman in DC's 'trinity'. But if you examine her role in the mythos, Teela is very much a 'Lois Lane', i.e. a love interest for the lead of the hero.

Wonder Woman is the only DC superhero with Batman and Superman that has had her own ongoing comic without any interruption. That's why that 'trinity' is an interesting example.

Teela, as much as we all love her, never had her own comic, her own series. She appeared in the He-man cartoon but never without her 'lead', He-man.
Just like Lois Lane appeared in numerous comic books but she never sustained her own comic!

Another indication that Teela is not a "lead" is the fact that usually, in a series of comics, the lead is the superpowered character (when there is one). Love interests are usually (emphasize on 'USUALLY" I know there are exceptions!) powerless. Teela is a trained warrior but has no magical powers or superstrength, just like Steve Trevor, Lois Lane, Mary Jane Watson etc. etc.

Now I know she is destined to become the new sorceress, but she never obtain such status neither in the original comics nor the cartoon.

She-ra is very much like Wonder Woman because she is the main character of the series. She has powers that set her above mere mortals. She is the lead in her own series 'She-ra Princess of Power', she even had a movie made just for her introduction, as someone pointed out. She is a "lead".

You may post as many Teela cosplay figures as you want, it won't prove anything else other than what we already know: Teela is loved like many other characters of the series. If I find pics of people dressed in Trapjaw cosplay costume, it doesn't make him the lead of the series!

Teela is the only female warrior in MOTU until POP shows up. That makes her the Wonder Woman of Masters of the Universe, until She-Ra appears since she's the only heroic woman battlefield character for years. If there's a toyline, movie, comic, cartoon, chances are Teela will be the warrior woman we see before She-Ra is introduced. In the beginning, Teela is there--the only heroic female. She-Ra doesn't show up until things are halfway over, because she's a "everything you think you know is wrong" reveal.

Teela isn't as powerful as She-Ra, but she isn't a creampuff. That's like comparing all powerful Superman to skillful Batman. A Lois Lane type would be a female character who doesn't fight like Drissi.

If we are talking about POP, then She-Ra is unquestionably the top female. But if we are talking all of the mythos, She-Ra and the Horde doesn't show up in canon until a few years in. She-Ra and the Horde didn't show up in NA, and She-Ra and the Horde didn't show up in the 1987 movie. Teela was pretty much everywhere.

Teela is the only female warrior in MOTU until POP shows up. That makes her the Wonder Woman of Masters of the Universe, until She-Ra appears since she's the only heroic woman battlefield character for years. If there's a toyline, movie, comic, cartoon, chances are Teela will be the warrior woman we see before She-Ra is introduced. In the beginning, Teela is there--the only heroic female. She-Ra doesn't show up until things are halfway over, because she's a "everything you think you know is wrong" reveal.

Teela isn't as powerful as She-Ra, but she isn't a creampuff. That's like comparing all powerful Superman to skillful Batman. A Lois Lane type would be a female character who doesn't fight like Drissi.

If we are talking about POP, then She-Ra is unquestionably the top female. But if we are talking all of the mythos, She-Ra and the Horde doesn't show up in canon until a few years in. She-Ra and the Horde didn't show up in NA, and She-Ra and the Horde didn't show up in the 1987 movie. Teela was pretty much everywhere.

This is pretty much what I had in mind as well, simply because She-Ra wasn't around until later in the mythos, Teela was around in the Mini Comics the original toy line, and Filmation cartoon.....well before Adora came along.

Also may i note that Teela...along with Evil-Lyn of course, were never considered dolls, didn't have rooted hair, Teela was part of the boys toys MOTU line. And also out well before the POP toys came along.

Teela is the only female warrior in MOTU until POP shows up. That makes her the Wonder Woman of Masters of the Universe, until She-Ra appears since she's the only heroic woman battlefield character for years. If there's a toyline, movie, comic, cartoon, chances are Teela will be the warrior woman we see before She-Ra is introduced. In the beginning, Teela is there--the only heroic female. She-Ra doesn't show up until things are halfway over, because she's a "everything you think you know is wrong" reveal.

I agree. She-Ra, like Supergirl, wasn't released until years later as a way of capitalizing on He-Man's popularity with a female version of him. Also, like Wonder Woman & Superman, after her creation, Teela has been around as long as there's been a He-Man. She-Ra was in hiding from the late 80's until the 2002 convention exclusive toy.

Originally Posted by MegaGearMax

Teela isn't as powerful as She-Ra, but she isn't a creampuff. That's like comparing all powerful Superman to skillful Batman. A Lois Lane type would be a female character who doesn't fight like Drissi.

Power has nothing to do with a character's popularity imo. Batman has no powers and is definitely the #1 or #2 superhero of all time. Also, Teela isn't a Lois Lane type since not only was the so called "love interest" aspects of her relationship with He-Man subtle to the point of non-existence, they don't make toys of love interests in boys toylines(at least not in the first wave). She was a fellow warrior who, before Mattel & Filmation made Teela & The Sorceress 2 separate characters, was quite the force for good.

Just because She-Ra was not around for MOTU's beginnings it does not negate her impact on the brand. She far out weighs Teela in every sense. I can't believe I am going to use the example ....but I can't think of a better one right now. Using the argument that She-Ra is not the lead female character due to not being around at the very beginnings of MOTU is like saying Adam is more important to the Bible than Jesus because he was there before him. (Yes I just related She-Ra to Jesus)....I know I know I got the POP fever running high in my veins today!!!!!! But I hope you get my point!

She-Ra hit MOTU like a commit from outer space, deeply embeding herself within and impacting the overall story and brand. Teela might have been there from the beginning but she did not have anywher near such an important roll or impact on the brand or anywhere near the importance that She-Ra's character does in the overall story. The posing of Teela's linner position in the revelation of characters to the public somehow giving her dominence over She-Ra dosen't really stand up IMO. Just because someone or something came first does not automatically make it more important or impactful.

Last edited by Angel-T; September 22, 2011 at 08:59pm.

PRO CLASSIC POP TOY DESIGN ELEMENTS BEING USED IN MOTUC TO COMPLEMENT THE FILMATION DESIGNS!!!!

I FULLY SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF ILLUMINA IN MOTUC!!!!!

IF YOUR SICK OF WAITING FOR A LIGHT TO APPEAR AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, STRIDE DOWN THERE AND LIGHT THE BLOODY THING YOURSELF!!!!!!!

Just because She-Ra was not around for MOTU's beginnings it does not negate her impact on the brand. She far out weighs Teela in every sense. I can't believe I am going to use the example ....but I can't think of a better one right now. Using the argument that She-Ra is not the lead female character due to not being around at the very beginnings of MOTU is like saying Adam is more important to the Bible than Jesus because he was there before him. (Yes I just related She-Ra to Jesus)....I know I know I got the POP fever running high in my veins today!!!!!! But I hope you get my point!

She-Ra hit MOTU like a commit from outer space, deeply embeding herself within and impacting the overall story and brand. Teela might have been there from the beginning but she did not have anywher near such an important roll or impact on the brand or anywhere near the importance that She-Ra's character does in the overall story. The posing of Teela's linner position in the revelation of characters to the public somehow giving her dominence over She-Ra dosen't really stand up IMO. Just because someone or something came first does not automatically make it more important or impactful.

The point I'm trying to make is that Teela by default is the top female of the brand until She-Ra shows up. She-Ra's nature as a reveal hurts her being marketed from the start, unlike Teela who can be there from the beginning.

Now if a new media decided to change Filmation canon and have He-Man and She-Ra as equal lead characters, then she would be the lead. But as it stands now, Teela is the leading lady until She-Ra and the Horde shows up about halfway through the story.

Using the argument that She-Ra is not the lead female character due to not being around at the very beginnings of MOTU is like saying Adam is more important to the Bible than Jesus because he was there before him.

Yes but according to the Bible, Adam was the first of all mankind, if not for him and Eve, and what they did, then Jesus wouldn't even have been around.......or needed, because there would be no reason for him to be here. Making both of them front and center for what their roles were.

Realistically thinking, if not for the Sorceress though, neither She-Ra or He-Man would know anything about the swords to begin with, her main contribution as well as constantly aiding He-Man (like when he was almost overcome by evil from the power of the starseed, and when the strongest man in the universe seems to lose his memory by thumping his head) is overlooked...even by me, until now. The Sorceress is a great candidate for lead, actually because of her role with the very place that gives Adam & Adora their abilities.

The Green Goddess was fighting that beast thing in the very first mini-comic and has a spear...

Also, Illumina trained Man-At-Arms, Teela's father...before Teela was born...and as we all know, Illumina is a bad ass that can kill you six ways from Sunday without even breaking a sweat!

So...she's not the only female warrior until PoP shows up. Hawk is a warrior too. There are others. Teela is just the one they focus on more than the others...except for She-Ra, that is. Whenever she's around...Teela gets maybe 1/2 a sentence of dialog.

Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.